A. Gopal,
T. May,
S. Herzer,
A. Reinhard,
S. Minardi,
M. Schubert,
U. Dillner,
B. Pradarutti,
J. Polz,
T. Gaumnitz,
M.C. Kaluza,
O. Jäckel,
S. Riehemann,
W. Ziegler,
H.-P. Gemünd,
H.-G. Meyer,
and G.G. Paulus
Observation of energetic terahertz pulses from relativistic solid density plasmas
New J. Phys., 14 :083012 (August 2012)
Observation of energetic terahertz pulses from relativistic solid density plasmas
New J. Phys., 14 :083012 (August 2012)
Abstract:
We report the first experimental observation of terahertz (THz) radiation from the rear surface of a solid target while interacting with an intense laser pulse. Experimental and two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations show that the observed THz radiation is mostly emitted at large angles to the target normal. Numerical results point out that a large part of the emission originates from a micron-scale plasma sheath at the rear surface of the target, which is also responsible for the ion acceleration. This opens a perspective for the application of THz radiation detection for on-site diagnostics of particle acceleration in laser-produced plasmas.